10 queer YA books to add to your TBR this Pride Month
Be Dazzled – Ryan La Sala
Be Dazzled follows Rafael Odom, a serious and ambitious crafter determined to win Controverse, a cosplaying convention contest. In short, Raffy is determined to win Controverse with the help of his best friend May but has to compete against his former boyfriend, Luca, who has partnered up with their former friend, Inaya.
As the competition heats up, Luca and Raffy are thrown together and forced to face their past. Told in an exquisitely crafted alternating timeline between past and present, we see Raffy and Luca’s relationship and come to understand what has happened between them.
As the competition heats up, and Raffy and Luca are forced to work together again, is there any hope they can mend what is broken between them? Be Dazzled is an artfully told story about love, perfectionism, and self-expression in all forms.
The official synopsis reads:
"Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making—for creation. He’s always chosen his art over everything—and everyone— else and is determined to make his mark at this year’s biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There’s only one small problem… Raffy’s ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition. Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store—or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca’s insecurities and Raffy’s insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can’t ruin. But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he’ll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he’s ever wanted: choosing his art, his way."
Be Dazzled is available now wherever books are sold.
Next. 3 reasons Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a must-read for Pride Month. dark
What have you been reading this Pride Month? Let us know in the comments!